Carl Jammes Martin delivered the biggest statement of his professional boxing career, outlasting Mexican contender David Picasso via split decision to capture the World Boxing Council silver featherweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, early Sunday morning (Manila time).
The unbeaten Filipino showcased his power and composure against the highly regarded Mexican at the Kingdom Arena, building an early advantage before weathering a late surge to secure a career-defining victory and go up to 29-0.
Martin made his presence felt in the opening rounds, matching Picasso’s offense while finding opportunities to unleash his heavy punches.
The Filipino continued to apply pressure through the middle frames, with a powerful right hook in the sixth round catching Picasso cleanly and snapping the Mexican’s head backward.
Picasso, however, refused to go down without a fight, eventually finding an opening that resulted in a knockdown against Martin.
The sequence came when the Filipino appeared to step on his opponent’s foot and lose his balance, allowing Picasso to land a short jab as Martin went down.
Despite the knockdown ruling, Martin showed no apparent signs of being seriously hurt. Instead, he responded by stepping up his attack in the succeeding exchanges, repeatedly connecting with his left hand and reopening the wound on Picasso’s nose.
The judges ultimately favored Martin’s performance, with two scoring the bout 95-94 for the Filipino.
The third judge saw it differently, handing Picasso a 96-93 verdict, but the split decision was enough to hand Martin the most significant victory of his career.
The triumph could also bring Martin closer to the world championship opportunity he has long pursued.
Despite establishing himself as the No. 1 contender in the World Boxing Organization’s bantamweight rankings, the Igorot boxer had yet to land the major title fight he desired.
Picasso fell to 33-2, suffering his second career loss.
His only previous defeat came against Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue, whom he challenged for the undisputed bantamweight championship.
